The Virginia Cavaliers (16-2, 5-1) earned a 72-68 victory against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs (13-5, 2-3) on Saturday in Dallas, handing SMU their first home loss of the season.
It was a competitive, back-and-forth game with the ‘Hoos struggling to find an offensive rhythm in the first 15 minutes of regulation. Virginia’s senior Malik Thomas was the early saving grace for the ‘Hoos, bringing life off the bench, leading with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and hitting 6-of-10 shots from deep.
Meanwhile, Thijs De Ridder had another relatively inefficient game, scoring only 11 points from the field on 12 shots. But he made up for it in the final minute and a half when he knocked down four free throws to secure Virginia’s lead. Of his 17 points against SMU, six of them were at the charity stripe.
Virginia’s offense was stagnant to start, with the team struggling to score the rock. In the last five minutes of the half, the team began to clean it up, marked by a three-chance offensive possession that ended with a three from Devin Tillis. Finally, and with the help of Thomas’s four threes (and counting), Virginia had momentum. The ‘Hoos closed the first half leading 40-37.
The second half was a stark contrast to Virginia’s stale start. The team’s quick ball movement opened up the floor and created offensive opportunities. Both teams were playing aggressively, making every rebound a battle on the floor.
In fact, Johann Gruenloh got tangled up under the with SMU’s Samet Yigitoglu under the opposite basket after a play, leading to official review for a potential fragrant foul. In the end, Gruenloh got away with a common foul–but the energy was turned up.
SMU stole some momentum back with a two-handed jam in traffic by Jaron Pierre Jr., giving the Mustangs their first lead since it was 27-26 and capitalizing on a 9-0 run. But Tillis (who tallied 11 points and made 3-of-5 shots from deep) hit a triple out of a timeout soon after, taking back a 53-52 lead to quiet the home crowd. From there, it was back-and-forth lead changes until De Ridder secured the win at the free throw line.
In his 33 minutes on the court, Virginia’s Dallin Hall went 0-for-8 from the floor. He made up for it, however, with nine assists and one steal. Despite Hall’s scoring drought, head coach Ryan Odom seemed to keep him in at point as a true orchestrator. After all, he made some nice looks to players like Ugonna Onyenso, Grunloh, and De Ridder down low – where the post was generally struggling to produce.
Even with a slow offensive start, the team shot a cumulative 42% from the field and, crucial to the final margin victory, 83% from the line.
The competitive conference matchup serves as another statement game for the ‘Hoos, as Odom and the team prove they can adjust and improve mid-game and handle themselves in a nail-biting second half on the road.
